The grand center pavilion of the Textile Fair was a chaotic hub of roaring commerce, but the private VIP lounge situated at the rear was an entirely different world. Behind the heavy mahogany doors, the air was cooled by a modern conditioning unit—an unheard-of luxury in 1995—and carried the faint, bitter aroma of premium tea and vintage tobacco.
Li Hua stood near the plush leather viewing deck, smoothing the edge of her sharp charcoal-grey pencil skirt.
"You're shaking," Ye Feng's low, freezing baritone vibrated through the quiet corner of the lounge. He stood beside her, a towering, imposing shadow whose sheer presence felt like a physical weight against her skin.
Li Hua looked down at her hands. Her fingers, now slender and elegant after her physical transformation, were indeed trembling slightly. But it wasn't from anxiety.
"It's pure adrenaline, Mr. Ye," she replied, her voice steady and resonant. "The feeling of finally standing on the necks of those who used me as a stepping stone... it's more addictive than any wine."
Ye Feng finally turned his head, his obsidian eyes locking onto her sharp profile behind his silver-rimmed spectacles. He reached out, his hand hovering near hers for a fraction of a second before pulling back—a rare flash of hesitation from a man who controlled monopolies.
"The Director of the Education Bureau, Old Man Sun, is sitting at the head table," Ye Feng warned in a low murmur. "He is a rigid traditionalist. He doesn't care about modern luxury; he cares about national spirit. If you try to pitch him using Western trends, he will have security throw you out."
Li Hua met his intense gaze, her almond eyes flashing with a predatory intelligence. "I don't need Western trends to understand the spirit of our youth, Mr. Ye. I grew up in a textile mill. I know exactly what kind of armor these children need to conquer the future."
Ye Feng's lips quirked into a dangerous, slow smile. "Armor. I like that word. If you pull this off, you won't just walk away with 10,000 Yuan. You will control a monopoly on every student's back in this province. Let's go."
As they walked toward the formal conference table at the center of the lounge, the side doors burst open. Sweaty, disheveled, and breathing heavily, Gu Yan and Lin Meimei scrambled inside, desperately dragging their bolts of "Eternal Bloom" fabric past the cadres. They had used Director Zhang's old credentials to sneak into the VIP meeting.
When Gu Yan saw Li Hua standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the legendary Ye Feng, his face turned a sickly, ghostly shade of green.
"Director Sun!" Gu Yan shouted frantically, completely ignoring protocol as he rushed the table. "Don't listen to this woman! This school uniform contract belongs to the Gu family! We have been the official state suppliers for three years! She is using outside corporate influence to sabotage local industry!"
Li Hua walked right past him as if he were a ghost, her Level 2 Socialite Aura radiating an untouchable elegance that immediately drew the eyes of every cadre in the room. "The past belongs to a thief, Gu Yan. The future belongs to me."
Director Sun, a stern man with heavy brows, grunted in profound irritation, glancing at the cheap, scratchy polyester samples Gu Yan had sloppily laid out. "The Gu family's materials are thinning every year, yet your pricing requests keep climbing. Young lady, what alternative do you offer?"
Li Hua stepped forward gracefully. She didn't open a standard briefcase. Instead, she unzipped a protective garment sleeve, presenting a flawless, deeply structured navy-blue blazer engineered from her custom Lycra-cotton blend.
"Director Sun," Li Hua began, her voice ringing with absolute authority. "This isn't merely a uniform. This is an immediate investment in the dignity of our students. Feel the weave. It is dense enough to shield them from our damp winters, yet completely breathable for the summer heat. It features reinforced double-stitching at the elbows for heavy studying, and structural hidden pockets. But most importantly..."
She flipped the structured collar backward, revealing a clean, beautifully hand-embroidered miniature phoenix flame—the historic emblem of the city's founding.
"It represents the fire of progress," Li Hua declared, her eyes boring into the Director's. "The Gu family offers you a synthetic material that will fray and pill within a month. I offer you an eternal spirit—a uniform that will endure until these children graduate into the leaders of tomorrow."
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[Ding! 'Negotiation Mastery' Skill violently activated!]
[Target's psychological defenses: Fully Breached!]
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The entire VIP lounge went dead silent. Director Sun picked up the blazer. He pulled hard at the seams—they didn't yield a millimeter. He rubbed the collar against his hand—zero irritation. He glanced at the wholesale price sheet Li Hua presented, which was exactly twenty percent lower than the Gu family's quote because she had entirely eliminated her stepmother's internal skimming margins.
"Ten thousand initial units," Director Sun announced, his booming voice echoing off the mahogany walls. "A state deposit of 10,000 Yuan cash will be wired directly to your commercial account by tomorrow morning. Miss Li, you have exactly two months to deliver the inventory."
Gu Yan let out a strangled, desperate cry from the sidelines. "Ten thousand Yuan?! That's impossible! She's a fraud! She doesn't even own a facility!"
"Security," Director Sun barked without looking up. "Remove these screaming vendors. They are disrupting state commerce."
As a weeping Lin Meimei and a raging Gu Yan were dragged out of the pavilion gates by armed guards, Li Hua stood by the panoramic glass window, watching them get thrown into the dirt like common vagrants. A profound wave of system warmth surged through her core, reshaping her entire frame.
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[Ding! Main Quest Complete: Secure the 10,000 Yuan Monopoly Contract!]
[Rewards Issued: 10,000 Yuan Seed Capital, -5kg Instant Deep-Tissue Fat Burn, 'Industrial Workshop' Blueprint unlocked!]
[System Calculation: 80kg - 5kg = Current Weight: 75kg! Silhouette optimization complete.]
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Her waistline tapered perfectly, her collarbones defining themselves like polished jade as her posture took on an elite, terrifyingly beautiful magnetism.
She turned to find Ye Feng standing directly behind her. He didn't offer a corporate handshake. Instead, he reached out a long, elegant finger, gently tucking a stray lock of black hair behind her ear. His thumb grazed her newly sharpened jawline for a heartbeat too long, his obsidian eyes burning with a dark, intense pride.
"Congratulations, Boss Li," he murmured, his voice a low, thrilling hum. "You've just dismantled a family's entire legacy with a single needle. Shall we depart to celebrate, or are you already mapping out your next conquest?"
Li Hua looked down at the official contract in her hand, then looked up into the eyes of her most dangerous ally. "The celebration can wait, Mr. Ye. I have a factory to build."